Enhanced communication platform and related communication method using the platform

ABSTRACT

A method of providing pre-authorized communication services and/or transactions via a plurality of networks, including accepting and processing a request from a user to provide at least one of a communication service, a transaction and user account information via a plurality of networks of different types, verifying that the user is authorized to receive the at least one of the communication service, the transaction, and the user account information, and that an account associated with the user has a sufficient amount currently available for payment of the at least one of the communication service and the transaction and charging, in real time, an authorized account associated with the user as the at least one of the communication service and the transaction is provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation and claims priority of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/114,047, filed Apr. 3, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No.6,714,632, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/851,382 filed May 9, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,316, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/395,868, filed Sep.14, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,320,947, and which application Ser. No.09/395,868 claims priority of U.S. application Nos. 60/100,440 and60/100,470, both filed Sep. 15, 1998, the contents of each beingincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to communication systems for providingservices to individual and corporate subscribers worldwide. Morespecifically, the invention relates to an advanced intelligentcommunication system that provides subscriber-requested services throughexisting communication switches even in those circumstances in which thehardware communication switch is not configured to provide suchservices. The system supports the use of personal identification number(PIN) access cards for use in fixed and mobile markets from anycommunication device located anywhere in the world and provides flexiblecall processing and switching services that deliver enhanced computertelephony capabilities, utilizing standard communication equipment andoperating systems.

2. Description of the Related Art

Advanced communication services, such as call forwarding, callconferencing, and voice mail have long been available to individual andcorporate subscribers of telephone services. However, because suchservices are dependent on telephone carrier equipment, and because notall telephone switches can presently support all available advancedcommunication services, many subscribers are still unable to takeadvantage of these services at their home or at their place of business.Furthermore, even though a subscriber may have such services availableat his or her normal place for communication, the services may beunavailable should the user attempt access through another person'scommunication device, a personal computer, a portable telephone, or apublic phone. In other words, access to such services is extremelylimited B restricted by the equipment in use, the equipment offered bythe telephone carrier, and the prior sign-up by the particularsubscriber.

Specialized equipment and proprietary software are conventionally usedto provide various advanced services on a telephone system, such asabbreviated dialing, password service, automatic alarm, multilinehunting, call forwarding (busy, no reply, unconditional, and selective),call accept (selective), call back, distinctive ringing, network voicemail, and interception service. When an analog telephone switch is usedin the communication network, as is the case in many remote areas, fewof these advanced services are available to the customer. Similarly, ifa basic digital switch is used, some of the advanced services describedabove may not be available depending on the software of the digitalswitch.

Presently, when advanced telephony services are desired to be madeavailable to network customers within an analog-switched network, aproprietary digital switch must be purchased along with a proprietarycomputer operating system and proprietary software. If the network usesa digital switch and advanced services are desired to be added to thenetwork, a replacement digital switch and supporting software might haveto be acquired. In either situation, an outdated, “legacy” switch isreplaced with a “new generation” switch. In the alternative, somefeatures can be added to an existing digital switch by upgrading theswitch and its proprietary software. Whichever upgrade measure is taken,the process is expensive and time-consuming to acquire, install, test,and maintain the requisite hardware and software. Therefore, whether ananalog switch is upgraded to a proprietary digital switching platform,such as those available from Lucent Technologies or Nortel, or anexisting digital switch is upgraded to provide additional services,significant cost and effort are involved.

Therefore, time, effort, and expenses would be saved if there were a wayto provide enhanced communication services to customers withoutreplacing or upgrading existing legacy switches and supporting software.The platform and method (hereinafter collectively referred to as the“system”) of the present invention meet such a need by interfacing witholder “legacy” switches, whether analog or digital, and by operating onindustry-standard computer platforms that satisfy telephone companies'functional and technical requirements.

In addition to hardware and software limitations, access to advancedcommunication services is further limited by the payment platformutilized by the customer. Access to and payment for communicationservices through the use of prepaid cards, such as telephone callingcards, is well known in the field of electronic communication. Suchprepaid calling cards are sold at department stores, grocery stores,convenience stores, and other places of business. The prepaid callingcards can be produced in any specific amount or denomination, such as$10.00, $25.00, or $100.00, printed on the card. Also printed on thecard are an access telephone number and additional instructional orpromotional information. In addition, although typically not printed onthe card, is a personal identification number (PIN) for authenticatingthe user. The access telephone number is the number to be initiallydialed to interface with a host computer to access the desiredcommunication service. To initiate a connection, the card holder firstdials the access number, often a toll-free number; second, the cardholder manually enters the associated PIN; and third, the card holderdials the telephone number of the location to be called.

Upon verification and authorization of the entered information and theprepaid card balance, the user is connected to the network. The accessnumber links the cardholder to the computer host. Magnetic strip or barcode readers may also be used to decode information stored on the card,including an account code, but the additional step of manually enteringa PIN is required by the user to complete a telephone call or anothertransaction. The PIN is intended to provide secured access to variousservices and features by limiting those services and features to userspresumably authorized by virtue of their knowledge of the correct PIN;the PIN being verified to authenticate that the cardholder is a validuser. Once a call is placed using the telephone calling card, thecharges for the call are billed to the card holder's account ordecremented from the card.

However, while prepaid calling cards have become a convenient method bywhich telephone calling services may be made available to customersworldwide, regardless of the telephone being used, such calling cards donot permit access to more advanced communication services, such as voicemail, call forwarding, or call conferencing. The reason for thislimitation is that present networks limit calling card access to simplecalls for which the account represented by the card may be eitherdebited or charged. No integrated system exists that links calling cardaccounts with a database for offering more advanced services, such as amailbox for voice mail messages or a pathway for conference calling orlinking telephone numbers for call forwarding. In other words, cardholders are presently constrained from using the calling card to accesscontracted, advanced communication services from any communicationdevice worldwide for receiving desired, advanced communication services.

Another problem associated with the use of telephone calling cardsthrough which advanced communication services may be purchased is themanagement, tracking, and accounting of such transactions. This problemarises because most communication systems permitting use of telephonecalling cards are concerned primarily with the authorized payment ofdelivering such services and because prepaid telephone cards often arepurchased as a commodity and no linking between card usage and anidentifiable account, person, or corporation can be maintained. Inshort, the user does not have access to a comprehensive customer caresystem, which incorporates the administrative, card management, accountmanagement, security, customer care, and distribution management of aPIN access card system into a single software package on a publicswitched telephone network (PSTN) or any other communication network,without a need to purchase proprietary application software of theleading communication giants, such as Lucent, Nortel, etc.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention overcome the problemsassociated with existing mechanisms for delivering advancedcommunication services to customers, with or without use of PIN accesscards by providing an easily implemented, cost-effective, “openstandards” telephony solution that provides value-added services, suchas voice mail, to people and businesses regardless of the sophisticationof the switch to which they are connected, at a minimal cost to a localtelephone company, service provider, or the subscribing consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide enhanced communicationservices to users, regardless of where the users may be located in theworld and regardless of the equipment through which the communicationservices are directed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide enhancedcommunication services to users through a PIN access card.

A further object of the present invention is to provide enhancedcommunication services to users through an interactive voice responsesystem.

Objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention, such as a methodof providing enhanced communication services to users, the methodincluding receiving from a user a personal identification number;authenticating the personal identification number; accepting a requestfrom the user for an enhanced communication service after authenticationof the personal identification number; verifying that the user isauthorized to receive the requested service and that an account linkedto the personal identification number has sufficient value to pay forthe service; providing, by an enhanced services platform, the enhancedcommunication service to the user; and charging the account forproviding the enhanced communication service.

The enhanced communication service preferably is provided through anetwork, including one or more of a landline communication network, awireless communication network, a wide area network, a global computernetwork, a cable network, and a satellite network. Also, a high levelapplication programming interface executing on the enhanced servicesplatform independent of any hardware connecting the platform to thenetwork is preferably used in providing the enhanced communicationservice. Charging for providing the enhanced communication serviceincludes decrementing a charge from a pre-paid user account or adding acharge to a credit account. The enhanced communication services providedby the enhanced services platform include outcalling, voice mailfunctions, and call conferencing functions. Additionally, administrationfunctions, card management functions, account management functions,external carrier and rate plan functions, sales administrationfunctions, and system security functions are provided, with all suchenhanced communications services being accessed with a personalidentification number access card. The enhanced services platformincludes an interactive voice response system, and the enhancedcommunication services are accessed by a user through either an analogswitch or a digital switch, without upgrading the switch.

Objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention, such as a methodof providing enhanced communication services to users, the methodincluding receiving from a user a request for an enhanced communicationservice; verifying, by an enhanced services platform, that the user isauthorized to receive the enhanced communication service; and providing,by the enhanced services platform, the enhanced communication service tothe user through a switch which is not configured to provide theenhanced communication service without the enhanced services platform.

The enhanced communication services provided by the enhanced servicesplatform include call forwarding functions, call waiting functions,automatic alarm functions, abbreviated dialing functions, voice mailfunctions, call conferencing functions, call acceptance/rejectionfunctions, call back functions, password functions, and interceptionfunctions.

Objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention, such as atelephony platform providing enhanced communication services to users,the telephony platform including an input device to receive a personalidentification number and an enhanced communication service selectionfrom a user; a storage device storing account data related to the user;a verification module authenticating the personal identification number,verifying that the user is authorized to receive the selectedcommunication service, and verifying that the stored account data has abalance sufficient to pay for the selected enhanced communicationservice; and a processor programmed to provide the selected enhancedcommunication service after the verification module has successfullycompleted its processing.

The processor is programmed to include the cost of providing theuser-selected enhanced communication service in the user's account data.

Objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention, such as atelephony platform providing enhanced communication services to users,the telephony platform including an input device to receive an enhancedcommunication service selection from a user; a storage device storingaccount data related to the user; a verification module verifying thatthe user is authorized to receive the selected communication service andthat the stored account data has an account balance sufficient to payfor the selected enhanced communication service; and a processorprogrammed to provide the selected enhanced communication service afterthe verification module has successfully completed its processing.

Objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention, such as a methodof providing enhanced communication services to users, the methodincluding receiving from a user a personal identification number;authenticating the personal identification number; accepting a requestfrom the user for an enhanced communication service; verifying that anaccount linked to the personal identification number has sufficientvalue to pay for the enhanced communication service; and providing, byan enhanced services platform, the enhanced communication service to theuser.

Objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention, such as atelephony platform providing enhanced communication services to users,the telephony platform including an input device to receive a personalidentification number and an enhanced communication service selectionfrom a user; a storage device storing an account value linked to thepersonal identification number; a verification module authenticating thepersonal identification number and verifying that the stored accountvalue has sufficient value to pay for the enhanced communicationservice; and a processor programmed to provide the enhancedcommunication service.

Objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention, such as atelephony platform providing enhanced communication services to users,the telephony platform including an input device to receive an enhancedcommunication service selection from a user, a storage device storingaccount data related to the user; a verification module verifying thatthe stored account data has an account balance sufficient to pay for theselected enhanced communication service; and a processor programmed toprovide the selected enhanced communication service.

In a preferred environment, embodiments of the invention allow an accesscard system to be installed in any telephone network in the world,particularly in remote areas of the world where telephones and advancednetwork equipment are not easily accessible. The system providesadvanced telephony services, such as outdialing, voice mail, and callconferencing services to customers, with a built-in rating engine forcalculating usage charges, in any available public switched telephonenetwork or any mobile telephone network. Charges for use of the systemare preferably handled by an access card system, which includes callcenter services in a comprehensive operations support system thatsupports all critical business functions from creation to printing,distribution, sales, activation, and use of the access card products,and a comprehensive customer care system with access to customer carefunctions via a computer network implementing an easy to use interface,such as the world wide web. The system is available for individual(home) or corporate use.

The system preferably has an architecture supporting both prepaid andpostpaid functionality in the same platform, regardless of thetechnological level of the switch utilized in the communication network.Because of this payment versatility, the system allows extensive accountmanagement functions, where management and administrative servicesprovided business customers can differ from those offered home users.

In one embodiment, the system connects to an existing public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) switch and offers advanced communicationservices such as voice mail, call conferencing, call forwarding, callwaiting, call accept, call reject, call hold, call park, and automaticalarm transparently to subscribers connected to the PSTN switch, withoutany upgrade in the PSTN switch. The system also provides subscriberswith complete control over administrative services through an integratedinteractive voice response system and password facility. This allows thePSTN provider to offer advanced communication services without upgradingthe switches in the network and thus minimizing investment. These sameadvanced communication services can be made available by this system totelephony users over the Internet network or any online network, withoutthe need of incorporating a traditional PSTN switch in the onlinenetwork.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention also preferably supportmultiple vendor computer telephony integration (CTI) boards. This isachieved through design of a high level application programminginterface (HAPI) that isolates the application software from theboard-specific application programming interface. Thus the applicationsoftware runs on most of the major CTI board vendors' hardware. Any newCTI board vendor can be supported very quickly due to the design of theHAPI.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent and more readily appreciated from the followingdescription of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present inventionincluding an advanced intelligent network (AIN) platform executingsoftware hereinafter referred to as CallManager™ and NetManager™.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a central operations office server thatincorporates the computer telephony capabilities, switch functions,network connections, and customer connections of CallManager™ andNetManager™.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the primary subsystems contained within theCallManager™ subsystem.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the system of generating PINs that areassigned to cards used within the CallManager™ subsystem.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the data structures for card typedefinition.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flow charts of the creation of access card reports.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are flow charts of the creation of top-up card reports.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the operation of the corporate managementsubsystem that manages card account information and transactions.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the creation and maintenance of homeaccounts and home cards.

FIG. 10 is a data structure diagram of the virtual telephony system.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of registration of an abbreviated dialingservice.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of operation of the abbreviated dialing service.

FIGS. 13–15 are flow charts of operation of the voice mail system.

FIGS. 16–17 are flow charts of the payment maintenance for receivables,account balance, and credits.

FIG. 18 is a data structure diagram for the dealer management subsystem.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart of sales agent check-in to the dealer managementsubsystem.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart of adding a new dealer to the dealer managementsubsystem.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of adding a new sales agent to the dealermanagement subsystem.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart of the creation and mapping of user roles withinthe security management subsystem.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart of authentication of mobile cards.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart of generation of a print order status report.

FIGS. 25A and 25B are flow charts of generation of PIN informationreports and voice mail system profile reports.

FIGS. 26A and 26B are flow charts of generation of a print vendor reportand a moved cards report.

FIG. 27 is a flow chart of operation of the CallManager™ for accessingInternet applications.

FIG. 28 is a flow chart of operation of the NetManager™ for accessingInternet applications.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While a prepaid telephone calling card is typically a plastic cardembossed with an account code and imprinted with an access code, manypossible techniques exist for utilizing such a concept to purchasecommunication services. The card may be plastic, metal, paper, or amemory chip with or without a processor. In addition to prepaid cardspurchased prior to initiating a request for communication services,credit and debit cards are also well known to be utilized as telephonecalling cards. For purposes of the preferred embodiments of thisinvention, all types of calling cards will be referred to with the term“access card” to indicate a device containing an access code and a linkto a customer's account for authorized access to and payment forcommunication services. Such a card encompasses any combination of thefeatures of the previously discussed cards.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is readily implemented on anetwork by presently available communication apparatuses and electroniccomponents. The preferred embodiments of the invention find readyapplication in virtually all communication systems, including but notlimited to private and public telecommunication networks, cablenetworks, satellite networks, the Internet, and other broadcastnetworks.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a block diagram of atelephony platform 100 of a preferred embodiment of the invention, whichincorporates CallManager™ 102 and NetManager™ 104 subsystems for accessby any public system telephone network 11. Within the CallManager™subsystem 102, a customer 1 uses a PIN access card 3 to access thecomputer telephony network 11 through a network of wireline telephones 7or wireless telephones 9 by first dialing an access number provided tothe customer 1 upon purchasing or signing up for the access card 3. Theaccess card 3 may be a debit card, credit card, prepaid calling card, orlimit card which permit expenditures up to a predetermined limit. Thecard itself may be a plastic or paper card with printed and/or encodedinformation on a magnetic strip, or a microchip, etc. The access numbercould be read by the telephone device 7 or 9 with a magnetic or bar codereader, or the user can visually read and subsequently dial the accessnumber from information printed on the card. Furthermore, access couldbe directed through a personal computer, with the computer automaticallydialing the access number upon user command.

The PSTN 11 of the local, regional, or national telephone company 13receives the dialed telephone transmission through the local network ofwireline telephones 7, through a wireless telephone 9, or through apersonal computer (not shown) coupled to the PSTN via a computer networkor a modem. From the PSTN 11, the call is routed by the network to aswitch 15, where the switch 15 analyzes the access number and directsthe call to a telephone call receiving device outside the telephonyplatform 100; or to a computer network, such as Internet TCP/IP network21, or to the computer telephony interface cards (CTI) 25 of thetelephony platform 100. For those calls directed to the CTI cards 25,the calls are directed either to the CallManager™ subsystem 102 of thetelephony platform 100 through server 23 or to the NetManager™ subsystem104 of the telephony platform 100 through server 17, as determined bythe access number utilized. In summary and as will be discussed morethoroughly below, the subsystems of the CallManager™ 102 and theNetManager™ 104 take control of the call and deliver the desiredadvanced communication service to the customer 1 through the switch 15across the PSTN network 11, even when the hardware of the switch 15 isnot configured to deliver such services.

The CallManager™ subsystem 102 on the server 23 includes clientapplication services 29 and Switch Manager™ services 27. Both sets ofservices have the ability to store information in the databases 33 ofthe server 23. The Switch Manager™ services 27 are telephony servicesdirectly available to a customer 1, through a PIN access card 3, thatinclude voice mail services, call conferencing, and outdialing providedby software executing on the telephony platform 100. The softwareproviding the Switch Manager™ services 27 includes an interactive voiceresponse system to guide the customer through available options. Theclient application services 29 are also provided by software executingon the platform 100 and constitute a complete operation support systemfor use by the customers 1, the sales agents 37, the distributorships35, and the call center agents 70 (see FIG. 2). The client applicationservices 29 include, without limitation, administration and systemconfiguration, call center functionality, a card management subsystem(including CardManager™), an account management subsystem, an externalcarrier and rate plan subsystem, a sales administration subsystem, and asecurity subsystem. The client application services 29 also provide agraphical user interface (not shown) and output device (not shown) foraccess to customer accounts and to usage information.

The CallManager™ subsystem 102 manages distribution of the PIN accesscards 3 through distributorships 35, although the telephone companies 13also have the option to distribute PIN access cards 3 to the customers1. The distributorships 35 have sales agents 37 that disseminate the PINaccess cards 3 to the customers 1. The sales agents 37 can be persons,convenience stores, or kiosks located in public areas. If the accesscards 3 are prepaid calling cards, the customer 1 has the option ofbuying the cards 3 through the sales agents 37 of the distributorships35 or directly purchasing the cards from the local, regional and centraltelephone companies 13.

The printing and creation of cards and billing information are allperformed through the operation support subsystems referred to as theCard Manager™ component of the CallManager™ 102. CallManager™ mayinclude a Billing Module that takes care of the billing aspects of thesystem. The Billing Module can be a complete billing system which mayinclude a full-function rating engine. The rating engine or rate plancan determine the monetary value of a transaction, where suchdetermination may be based on, but is not limited to, the origin of thetransaction, the destination of the transaction, the type oftransaction, and the time of day and/or day of week of the transaction.

Further, the rating engine or rate plan can provide for tariff setup andconfiguration information management for wireless networks. The BillingModule can also include rating engines for functionalities such as longdistance calling, conferencing, and message mapping. Further, theBilling Module can provide for real-time debit or charge of a customer'sassociated account after adding a service tax related to thetransaction. Finally, the Billing Module may also be integrated with aservice or transaction provider's own billing system.

The billing module may contain a table for recording call data. Thetable may contain fields for recording information such as a cardcorporate ID, a card division information, a call extension code, a calltype code, a call date, a call duration, a call destination, a callpulse, a call amount, a call tariff time, a call tariff zone, a recordof whether the call has been billed or not and a bill number.

The billing module may also contain a table for recording homeinformation. The home information table can contain fields such as ahome main number, a home identification number, a title, a customername, a customer address, a customer city, a customer state, a customercountry, a customer zip, a customer phone number, a customer fax number,a customer email address, a customer remarks, a customer profession, acustomer last bill date, a customer deposit amount, a customer creditlimit, a customer credit limit left, a customer current balance, acustomer number of active cards, a customer status and a customer statuschange date.

FIG. 1 also shows the advanced intelligent network (AIN) platform knownas the NetManager™ subsystem 104. Within the NetManager™ subsystem 104,the server 17 can also preferably be a central office service enhancerthat not only provides computer telephony service similar to thatprovided by the Switch Manager™ 27 included in the PIN server 23 of theCallManager™ subsystem, but also can provide additional telephonyservices 28 through an existing “legacy” switch 15 without the need fora public telephone company 13, Internet provider 21, or wireless networkto upgrade to a digital switch function. In other words, NetManager™ 104has the capability of providing a complete set of AIN switching servicesthrough its software modules and database accesses, independent of thetechnological level of the legacy switch 15. Furthermore, customer 1access to the NetManager™ services 28 is not limited to a PIN accesscard.

The additional telephony services 28 may be divided into accesscode-based services, terminating services, PIN-based services,administrative services, and intelligent network (IN) services. Theserver 17, due to its open-architecture design, can also upgrade theswitching capacity of the regional telephone company 13 by scaling thedeployment of the additional telephony and administrative services atthe open-system, client-server level rather than at the switch 15 level.Analogous to the databases 33 of PIN based server 23, server 17 has aplurality of databases 31 to store any of the information being fedthrough the server 17 to the computer telephony services 28. The clientsof the server 17, in addition to the customer 1, include management,accounting, sales, and MIS. Furthermore, the NetManager™ 104 providesadministrative and operational client application services 30 similar tosome of the services provided under the client application services 29of CallManager™ 102

The access code-based services of the computer telephony services 28 ofNetManager™ 104 utilize calling line identification to activate thedesired functionality when a predetermined code is dialed. Theseservices include equal access, abbreviated dialing, automatic wake upservice, call conference facility, billing inquiry, long distance/ISDwith password, automated directory inquiry, on line help, information ondemand, and Internet telephony.

A prime service of NetManager™ 104 is equal access, whereby anysubscriber in any local exchange may select and have access to variouslong distance carriers available through that exchange. The equal accessservice enables pointing a subscriber to a long distance carrier,effecting a call over the lines of that carrier, and billing the callwith the long distance carrier. Abbreviated dialing allows thesubscriber to dial frequently accessed telephone numbers by dialing onlyshort codes instead of the full telephone number. The subscriber can setor change these codes through the interactive voice response system. Asto the automatic wake up service, the subscriber can program any time atwhich he/she wants to be awoken or reminded. The subscriber will be rungat the programmed time, whether a regular daily time or a singleinstance. The call conference facility permits the subscriber toinitiate conference calls and bring two or more parties into aconference. The subscriber may drop any of the parties from theconference call at any time. Bill inquiry permits subscriber online orvoice actuated access to the subscriber's billing information, includingany balance remaining on account. Furthermore, bill inquiry allows asubscriber to make real-time billing inquiries, such as a balanceinquiry if the user has a pre-paid associated account, or a cumulativeamount inquiry if the user's associated account is post-paid. Thesubscriber also can secure access to long distance calling byprogramming a security code/password as a prerequisite for completing along distance call. Call reach is an integral part of this service inwhich the subscriber establishes limited call ranges by use ofpreprogrammed phone numbers to access specified areas and countries. Thesubscriber can utilize the automated directory inquiry service to obtaindirectory assistance. The found number may be auto dialed from thisservice. An extensive online help facility is available to the userthrough database 31. This facility includes instructions for variousservices and exemplary parameter configurations. Information on demandprovides the subscriber with a single point source of information forsubscriber information, services information, and marketing information.This information is available to the subscriber through facsimile and/ordata transmissions. The Internet telephony service allows both mobileand PSTN calls to be routed onto an internet IP network at low cost andhigh quality of service.

The terminating services are initiated when a call terminates at asubscriber, invoking the pre-programmed services of that particularsubscriber. These features of the computer telephony services 28 of theNetManager™ 104 include call forwarding (unconditional, busy, no reply,and selective), call park, call hold, call waiting, important callwaiting, call screening (call reject and call accept), and multi-linehunting facility.

The call forwarding service has four conditional options. Unconditionalforwarding allows a subscriber to forward all calls to another number.Call forwarding—busy allows the subscriber to designate anothertelephone number to receive calls should the primary number be busy. Theno reply forwarding reroutes the call to a secondary number should thefirst number dialed fail to respond after a predetermined number ofrings. Selective forwarding will forward calls in the above threescenarios only for calls originating from specific telephone numbers.The subscriber can alter any of the forwarding options from any phone.Call park allows a customer to set aside, or park, a call by dialing aparking code. While parked, a call is both placed on hold anddisassociated from the line, so that the customer is free to place andreceive calls, even on a single line. Any line in the business group maydial a retrieval code to be connected to the parked call. An optionaltimed recall service guards against calls being permanently ignored orforgotten after being parked. Call hold allows a customer to place anycall on hold by flashing the switch hook and dialing a hold code. Thisservice frees the line to originate another call. Only one call perstation line can be held at a time. The original connection can beretrieved by flashing and dialing the call hold access code. If thecustomer hangs up with a party on hold, the customer is automaticallyrung back and connected to the held party. The call waiting servicetriggers a tone to a user engaged in a telephone call, notifying theuser that another call is attempting connection. By flashing the switchhook, the called subscriber can talk to the third party while keepingthe original party on hold. By flashing the hook switch again, thesubscriber can talk to the original party who has been on hold.Important call waiting is similar to call waiting, except the subscriberis notified only if the incoming call is from a particular telephonenumber(s) that the subscriber has preprogrammed into the system. Thecall reject option of the call screening service allows a subscriber tofilter out all incoming calls from specified numbers. The call acceptservice allows only specified numbers to ring through to the subscriber.Multi-line hunting allows subscribers, generally businesses, to requestthat multiple, non-contiguous telephone numbers be grouped. When onenumber is busy, an incoming call is automatically rolled to the nextavailable number in the group.

The PIN-based services are keyed to the personal identification numberassigned to the customer and are limited to the specific authority ofeach customer. These services include authentication, voice mail, systemwatch, and prepaid billing.

Authentication provides for the validation of the personalidentification number entered by a subscriber. This service also allowsthe activation and deactivation of the PIN numbers. As part ofactivation, the facility will retry activation following entry of aninvalid PIN number. The number of retries is a configurable parameter.The system provides full feature voice mail for storage of messages. Thesubscriber can access his/her voice mail box with a preprogrammed PINnumber and can selectively search for and review messages, deletemessages, and permanently save messages. System watch permits onlinedisplay of the status and occupancy of the lines and channels on anadministrator's or operator's console. Prepaid billing allows thesubscriber to pay in advanced for a fixed dollar amount of services.Each time the subscriber makes a call or invokes a service, the systemvalidates the requested call or service for balance amount and soadvises the subscriber, including just prior to the balance beingexhausted.

The administrative services include all parameter-driven services andactivation or deactivation services. These services include easy featureconfiguration, system and traffic monitoring, subscriber informationaccess, subscriber management, packaging of services, variable rateplans for different subscriber groups, MIS reports, security management,and open billing. Open billing provides an open interface for real-timebilling, settlement, and reconciliation with third-partyexternal-carrier or Customer Care and Billing systems. For example, thesystem has the ability to record account receivables: such as thefollowing payments from corporate accounts, payments from home accounts,payments from voice mail accounts, and payments from dealers. Inaddition, the system has the ability to periodically bill subscribersfor services offered by NetManager™ and also for services offered bythird party providers.

Feature configuration permits the subscriber to preprogram and reprogramon demand the various configurable options, based on each subscriber'spreferences and requirements. The monitoring services permit thesubscriber visual access to the activity level on the system, includingalarm notification, idle status, busy status, and system statistics. Thesystem maintains two levels of security, with each subscriber havingsecured access to subscriber services and parameters and with systemsupervisors having access to a second layer of options and controls.

The IN services are the intelligent network functions and includeadvanced services such as toll free service, premium rate calling (suchas 1-900), emergency service (911), distinctive ringing, caller IDdisplay, CENTREX services, full SS-7 functionality, universal personalnumber service, do not disturb, automatic call back, and opinionpolling/TeleVoting.

Toll free calling provides for calls to be made to an “800” number tollfree to the caller and chargeable to the telephone number “owner”.Premium rate calling applies an additional rate or charge to calls madeto A900″ numbers, with the additional charge being passed on to thenumber “owner”. Emergency service allows a caller abbreviated access toemergency services. When a call is made to an emergency number, such as911, operators staffing the emergency center can view critical dataassociated with the call, such as name, address, telephone number, andgeographical location of the call. Distinctive ringing provides for adifferent ring pattern or tone when the call originates from a specifictelephone number(s). Caller ID displays the telephone number andassociated subscriber name for incoming calls. Central exchange servicesare available to both calling and called customers. The universalpersonal number service allows a subscriber to have a specific, personaltelephone number other than an ordinary directory number. The subscribercan designate any proximate telephone in the network as his/her “own”. Acall to the subscriber's universal personal-number will ring through tothe designated telephone. Similarly, any outgoing calls made on thedesignated telephone will be reflected on the subscriber's bill. In thisinstance, the charging will be done to the universal personal number andnot the number of the telephone utilized. The do not disturb servicetemporarily prohibits any call from ringing through to the subscriber'stelephone. Instead, the call is handled through the call forwarding orthe voice mail facility, depending on the options the subscriber has setup. Automatic call back is activated by the subscriber upon encounteringa busy signal when the subscriber flashes the hook switch and enters aspecial code into the telephone. The busy number will be periodicallypolled by the system; and when the number is available, the subscriber'stelephone: will be rung and the connection completed when the subscriberlifts the handset. Opinion polling is activated by a subscriberestablishing a designated telephone number, recording an instructionalmessage, and coding various keyed caller entries to represent specificanswers.

NetManager™ 104 includes an interactive voice response system which letsa subscriber use all of the services 28 of the system without using atouch tone telephone. NetManager™ 104 additionally provides at least thefollowing functions: cost routing/intercarrier transactions, subscriberadministration, advanced service provisioning, real time callrating/cutoff, caller authentication, call progress analysis, andAIN/CTI (advanced intelligent network/computer telephony interface)signaling network. The real-time rating/cutoff function supportsreal-time monitoring and rating of calls against a credit amountoutstanding against a pre-paid account identified by, for example, acaller ID or a distinct account ID. Calls made by a pre-paid customer orreceived by a pre-paid customer can be debited from a customer'sassociated account in real-time. The rating/cutoff function is alsocapable of capturing the originating Phone ID on a real time basis andrating the calls at the appropriate rates depending upon the calledlocation.

The rating/cutoff is approved by an approval module. The approval modulecan have an approval master table and an approval list table. Theapproval master table can contain approval code and approval descriptionfields. The approval code filed in the approval master table can belinked to an approval code field in the approval list table. Theapproval list table can contain approval code, approval sequence number,approval submitted by, approval submitted date, approval status,approval remarks, approval information and parent sequence numberfields. The approval list table can thereby approve or denyrating/cutoff based on the information in several fields, and maintainthe approval information.

In addition, a security module can be used to control access to theapproval module and overall system access. The security module cancontain a pay module table, a pay database roles table, a pay operationtable, a pay user roles table and a pay rights table. The pay moduletable can maintain all of the other modules in the graphical userinterface. The pay database roles table can maintain roles assigned tosystem users. The pay operation table can store all the operations thata user can complete. The pay user roles table can be a link table formany-to-many relationships related to user notes in the database (i.e.administration, approval, need only).

If a call is attempted by a customer who is not a pre-paid customerand/or is not active on the system, then the call will not be completedby the system. The system also has the ability to inform the customer ofhis/her maximum allowable calling time, connect the call, and to informa customer when a minimum-value threshold approaches. Warnings andaccount-balance announcements may optionally be heard by the customer.

NetManager™ 104 is implemented using a fully modular softwarearchitecture, which permits ready maintenance, continuous enhancement,and ease and flexibility of implementation. NetManager™ 104 can run onindustry standard PC platforms with telco grade working specifications,such as an ISA/PCI/CPCI based CTI server running a Windows NT 4.0 serversupporting DNA. Additionally, NetManager™ 104 and CallManager™ 102support both digital and analog interfaces.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the back end of servers 17 and 23 of theNetManager™ 104 and CallManager™ 102, respectively, are illustrated.Each server 17, 23 has at least three features categories: hardwarecomponents including related S/W drivers and databases 31 and 33 (seeFIG. 1); an operating system 47, preferably Unix or Window NT; andsoftware applications 46, preferably a PIN calling application having anoperation support system collectively referred to as CallManager™ 102,or an enhanced computer telephony application operable on any switchsystem, known as NetManager™ 104. As in FIG. 1, the CTI cards 25interface between the switch 15 and either software subsystem,CallManager™ 102 or NetManager™ 104, as a conduit connected to thepublic communication network 11 for the transmission and reception ofinformation to and from the telephone device 7 or 9.

Primary hardware components of the servers 17 and 23 preferably includeROM/Bios 51, RAM 53, drivers 41, processor 49, and hard disk or otherstorage media 55, which are all located at the central operations office71. The central operations office 71 contain servers for the cardmanagement subsystem, a MIS system, and a plurality of databases 31 and33, including a central operations database and a central authenticationdatabase. The center 71 connects to a regional office 59 that includes acorresponding server(s) 17 a, 23 a that house databases 68 forsupporting client applications 61 for regional operations, localauthentication, sales administration, account management, externalcarrier and rate plan maintenance, and MIS. Additionally, regionaldatabases 68 accept voice mail data.

The central operations office 71 and databases 31 and 33 operate inconnection with the CallManager™ 102 server 23 and the NetManager™ 104server 17, which connect to the telephone company, Lan/Wan 57, via anetwork interface card (NIC) 67 and, in turn, interact with one or aplurality of client applications 61 and regional offices 59. Theregional offices 59 include a plurality of databases 68 for storing andretrieving information or for redirecting caller information. Each ofthese regional offices 59 have a number of application andadministrative functions to effectively run the PIN telephony computersystem in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. CallCenter Agents 70 have access to the regional databases 68 and canretrieve customer accounting and usage information to track account andservice usage, generate invoices, and identify customer candidates forpromotions and upgrades.

The block diagram shown in FIG. 3 reflects the interactive services ofthe CallManager™ subsystem 102, which has links connecting the subsystemto the various users of the system, including users 5, dealers 35,external carriers 12, voice mail subscribers (VMS) 2, sales agents 37,print vendors 19, and corporate and home accounts 6. The users 5 includeauthorized customers 1 and call center agents 70. The primary functionof CallManager™ 102 is to receive electronic transmissions from any andall of the various users of the system and respond to each user in kind,utilizing the data stored in the server 23 databases 33 of the system.

Transmissions received by the CallManager™ include an activation code toactivate a PIN access card, a pin number for authentication, an out-dialnumber, a call continuation request, a voice mail box number, a voicemailbox password navigation request, a voice mail message to poll, arequest for connection to the call center, and any queries by thesubscriber. After receiving such information, the Switch Manager™ 27,which is a subsystem of the CallManager™ subsystem 102, transmits thefollowing exemplary information back to the callers/subscribers orperforms the following functions: authentication of a PIN numberfollowed by a greeting and a menu of options, money balance left in acustomer's account, talk time left based on a customer's accountbalance, a call cut-off warning when a customer's account balance isapproaching zero or its limit, help information/prompts, call connectionto out-dialed numbers or mail boxes, recorded voice mail messages, orconnection to call centers.

FIG. 4 sets forth the process used to create a PIN access card byutilizing the Card Manager™ subsystem in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention. The process begins when anauthorized user requests a specific number of one or more of the threetypes of PIN access cards supported by the system: top-up cards, callingcards, and voice mail cards. The actual card type and detail definitionis shown in FIG. 5. Any number of lots of cards may be created. Thetype, denomination, card life, and quarantine period for each card isentered or selected from a given list by an authorized user. The desirednumber, type, and denomination of PIN access cards are created, withappropriate instructions and access numbers printed on the cards. Anexternal reference number may also be printed on the card for use by asystem provider should the customer 1 forget or lose the associated PINnumber. In addition to the above information, each voice mail card has aprofile ID. Corresponding unique PIN numbers are assigned to each card,based on issued PIN numbers previously stored in databases 33, with thenew PIN numbers being added to those already in the database 33. Areport matching each PIN to an access card is generated, since the PINnumbers are not printed on the access cards for security purposes. FIGS.6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B detail the information and functionality of reportsthat can be generated corresponding to each type of PIN access cardproduced by the system. Additionally, the card production reports maylist the number of lots in a particular batch, the number of cards in aparticular lot, the total number of cards printed, and the value of eachlot and batch printed.

The Card Manager™ subsystem controls the distribution and usage of thePIN access cards 3 and includes the following subsystems: cardmanagement, account management, external carrier and rate plan, salesadministration, management information system administration, and batchprocesses for volume data transfers. The card management subsystem (CMS)is located at the central operations office 71 for centralized controlover the distribution and usage of the cards 3. The central operationsoffice 71 provides total control of the card configuration with servicessuch as configurable PIN length, user-definable card type configuration,and voice mail profiles. The CMS assists in achieving a centralizedcontrol and distribution mechanism for the definition, printing,physical inventory, and financial value of the PIN access cards 3. TheCMS also provides a centralized MIS for monitoring sales performance andinventory control regarding the cards 3 within a single computerizedsoftware application.

In addition, the CMS has the following particular services: card typesdefinitions, PIN generation, card print vendor maintenance, cardprinting orders management, accounts payable for card generation, andthe creation and maintenance of home and corporate voice mail accountsunder the cards. The account management and administration subsystemsintegrate work flow into the system of a preferred embodiment of theinvention with approvals introduced for all sensitive card,distribution, and account management functions, including inventorycontrol, lost card deactivation, and financial accounting. The accountmanagement subsystem contains modules that provide central 71 andregional 59 office users with database control manipulation anddecision-making support; an interactive work flow for home and corporateaccount creation, activation and maintenance; itemized statementcreation, tracing, and reporting; user definition; voice mail accountsand profile maintenance; accounts receivable and payments history; andproviding information held in system databases such as itemizedstatements to customers on demand for customer service or otherinquiries.

Under controlled circumstances, corporate and home customers may submitdetailed orders for PIN access cards, as shown in FIGS. 8–10. Theaccount management subsystem is comprised of a corporate accountmanagement subsystem as shown in FIG. 8, a home account managementsubsystem as shown in FIG. 9, and a management subsystem for virtualtelephony (voice mail) for corporate and home account users as shown inFIG. 10. The corporate management subsystem provides internal users theability to create corporate accounts, change card status, request PIN's,and issue cards 3, as well as data entry and storage, as shown in FIG.8. Referring now to FIG. 9, functionality provided by the homemanagement subsystem includes the ability to create home accounts,change card status, request PIN's, and issue cards 3. Finally, thefunctionality provided by virtual telephony as shown in FIG. 10 is todefine area information, to import voice mail and voice mail profile boxnumbers, and to create new customer accounts with customer-specificmanipulated settings. A calling card can be owned by an individual, ahome sector, or a corporate sector. The voice mail services of thepresent system in accordance with the preferred embodiments areparticularly helpful in places where telephones are not easilyavailable. In such situations, a phone number is allocated to a user butno physical connection is made to a telephone device when a call isreceived by the phone number. Instead, all calls to the number arerouted to a mail box in the user's name. Hence, the term, “virtualtelephony”. The user can call the mail box at any time from any phoneand retrieve any messages. Alternatively, the user can notify the systemto make a physical connection to a telephone device available to theuser for the routing of all telephone calls.

The Switch Manager™ subsystem, which again is the telephony system forproviding the outdialing, call conferencing, and voice mail services ofthe CallManager™, operates on a Windows NT platform or a Unix platform,and non-proprietary hardware (such as Intel-microprocessor basedservers) with any number of common CTI cards 25 (for example, offered byDialogic Corporation).

The out-dialing module provides the complete outdialing functionality ofthe Switch Manager™ in conjunction with related functions of CardManager™ in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.Upon receiving a pin-based telephone call initiated by a subscriber, theSwitch Manager™ responds by transmitting a greeting to the customer 1,requesting entry of a PIN number, and upon receipt of the PIN number,transmits data to the Card Manager™ for requesting the authentication ofcard 3. The Card Manager™ subsystem verifies from the account managerdatabase information from database 33 that the account is active. TheCard Manager™ advises the Switch Manager™ whether the account is valid.If the verification fails, the Card Manager™ so communicates to theSwitch Manager™, which transmits a corresponding message to the customer1 advising of the verification failure and requesting the customer 1 toretransmit the PIN and/or account number. After several, such as three,failures, the Switch Manager™ will terminate the call with anappropriate message transmitted to the customer 1. If the PINverification is successful, the Card Manager™ retrieves the remainingaccount balance from the account manager database and transmits thebalance information to the Switch Manager™. The Switch Manager™transmits the balance information to the customer and requests andaccepts the out-dialed number for completion of communication links overthe PSTN 11; validates the outdialed number for allowed call type on thecard 3 by comparing the number to the allowed numbers list in the CardManager™ subsystem; and performs the outdialing and call progressanalysis. The Switch Manager™ includes a facility for making multiplecalls after account and PIN authentication. At the end of a call, theSwitch Manager™ reestablishes connection with the customer 1, advisesthe customer the balance remaining in the account, and presents to thecustomer 1 the option of making another call, hanging up, or initiatinganother Switch Manager™ service 27. The customer 1 may initiateadditional out-calls as long as sufficient balance remains in theaccount. Similarly, the customer 1 may initiate call conferencing orvoice mail functions as discussed below. Should the customer hang up orterminate the call through the menu options presented by the SwitchManager™, the Switch Manager™ will communicate the remaining balance tothe Card Manager™, whose account management subsystem updates thecustomer's account information in the database 33.

The Switch Manager™ also monitors PIN usage and will terminatesimultaneous account/PIN use to reduce and prevent fraud. The SwitchManager™ provides support for multiple languages to facilitate operationof advanced telephone services over analog connections; transmits awarning beep that notifies users prior to call cut-off, for example dueto an exhausted account balance. It also provides automatic call routingto call centers upon predetermined events as defined in the card anduser administration settings stored in the central and/or regionaldatabase 33/68. As detailed in FIGS. 11 and 12, the calling subscriberfor dialing out can use abbreviated numbers based on informationpreviously loaded by the customer 1 in database 33.

The call conferencing subsystem of the Switch Manager™ providesmulti-party call conferencing functionality to the PIN card subscriber1. The subsystem provides users with an interactive voice response oroperator-assisted method of joining multiple connected calls into theconversation and to debit the customer's PIN access card's correspondingaccount balance for the charge of initiating a conference call and forthe charges accruing during the call. The caller-initiated conference issupported by the system by holding calls open and active as the partiesto the conference call are contacted by the system and brought into thecall. As with outdialing, the call conferencing subsystem requires priorauthentication of account and PIN number before establishing theconference call.

The voice mail subsystem of the Switch Manager™, as detailed in FIGS.13–15, provides voice mail functionality to PIN-based customers 1.Referring now to FIG. 13, a user of the system sets up and accesses avoice mail box with the interactive voice response subsystem of theSwitch Manager™. The user has the option of setting up multiple mailboxes within a primary account and may provide variousgreetings/messages within the various mail boxes and under variousin-call circumstances, such as no answer or line busy. These mail boxesand messages are stored in the database 33 of server 23. Referring nowto FIG. 14, when a call routed through the system encounters a voicemail subsystem condition (such as no answer or line busy) and the numbercalled has a voice mail box set up on the system, the Switch Manager™directs the appropriate greeting to the caller and stores any responsefor later retrieval by the mail box owner (see FIG. 15). The systemprovides password-access administration of the voice mail boxes. Storedmessages may be navigated and retrieved by the storage date. Thecustomer's account/card is charged or decremented for the voice mail boxsetup and usage.

If the PIN access card being utilized to initiate and pay for the aboveSwitch Manager™ services is a top-up card, then the communications tothe user regarding account balance, insufficient balance, or exhaustedbalance include an option for the user to add a value to, or “top-up”,the card. Under such circumstances, the user provides a bank account orcredit card account number from which the system will, in real time,transfer funds into the user's telephony account.

The customer management subsystem of the account management subsystemaccepts customer information from the user for opening a voice mail boxaccount and establishing a mail box profile. The user enters the name,address information, and voice mail box profiles into the system, whichdefine the deposit amount, maximum voice message length, maximum numberof messages, maximum age of retained messages, and voice mail box life.The system also assigns the area code and voice mail box number to theaccount. This account status can be changed to active, suspended, ordeactivated. By clicking the “query” button, the user can search theprofiles which exist in the system.

The ability to assign cards 3 to other customers is a service of theaccount management subsystem of the Card Manager™. Upon the request of acustomer 1 to assign cards 3, the total credit amount and remainingcredit amount for each card 3 and account assigned to that customer isdisplayed to the user. Depending on the customer's request, specificcards 3 may be assigned to a designated corporate or home account. Inthe alternative, the user may enter a dollar amount of cards to beassigned, and the system will determine which cards 3 should be assignedto meet the requested credit value. Authorized corporate and homecustomers may effect this assignment directly, without submitting arequest to a central 71 or regional 59 office.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17, the payments option of the accountmanagement subsystem allows the user to accept payments for a selectedaccount. At the offset, the user selects the transaction to beprocessed, whether receiving a payment from a corporate or home accountor receiving a sales receipt from a dealer 35 or sales agent 37. Theuser then enters the details of the current transaction, such as paymentmethod (credit card, bank instrument, cash, etc.), payment amount,payment date, etc. After entering the details of the payment, the userhas the option of accepting the transaction details or canceling themand starting with another transaction. If accepted, the payment isbooked or the receipt is logged, and the results are stored in thedatabase 33.

Call center agents 70 have the ability through remote terminals tosearch the databases 31, 33, and 68 for customers by account, accounttype, name, services, address, voice mail box number, etc. For example,a call center agent 70 may select an account type from a drop down menulist and view calling history, profiles, payments, and other details forall qualifying accounts. By selecting the account type, details of theaccount such as name, address, deposit, credit limit, and call history,etc. are displayed to the user. The user can also select by corporatedivision or home name to display all accounts and cards assigned to thedivision or home. The payment details are displayed, and the paymenthistory of the current account can also be viewed. Details of thepayment mode can be viewed by selecting the column “Payment Method”. Onselecting the “Accept Payments” button, a screen is displayed throughwhich the payment details are accepted and posted to the database 33.The home search facility displays all home account numbers and homenames according to a selected search criteria, which is yet anotherprovision of the account management subsystem of the Card Manager™.Sorting can be done by clicking the column headings of the home list.Once a home account is selected, it can be viewed or manipulated byauthorized users of the system.

The ability to maintain corporate and home accounts is another serviceof the account management subsystem of the Card Manager™. Through eithera corporate or home maintenance subsystem, users can view, add, andmodify the details of any level of a corporate or home hierarchicalstructure and contact persons as stored in the database 33. Some of thedetails of the corporate account are business type, bill cycle, multipleaddresses (present address, previous address, billing address, etc.),customer ID, financial soundness, discounts, contact persons, contractsand contract terms, and responsibility for payment. The home customerdetails displayed include default address, billing address, account ID,status of account, billing cycle, discounts, customer identity,financial soundness, payment information, detail of card types anddenomination, and contracts.

Each corporate customer has a stored hierarchical structure reflectingthe multi-level structure of the corporation. All details of thecorporate customer can be displayed, including address information,payment information, card details, and summary. A level can be added tothe hierarchy by clicking on the “add level” button, and placing thecursor on the tree displayed. The status of the corporate customer ofany level can be changed by clicking on the “change status” button. Arequest for cards can be placed by depressing the “request cards”button. The details of the cards assigned to the corporate level can beviewed by clicking on the tab named “card details.” The details of thecurrent level (level on which the cursor is placed) are also displayedin the grid. The name of the main corporate and the main account numberallocated to that corporate customer are also displayed to the user.

On the corporate status screen, any level of a corporate hierarchy'sstatus can be changed. The different status applicable for corporatecustomers are prospective, active, suspended, and deactivated. If alevel in the corporate hierarchy is being deactivated or suspended, theunderlying levels of that corporate parent will have the same status asits related parent, provided that level is not responsible for payment.When a level in the corporate hierarchy is being activated from adeactivated or suspended state, the status of the underlying levels ofthat parent will be restored to previous (original) status. If the maincorporate account is activated for the first time, a request will beplaced for generating a main account number. Detailed, multi-levelcorporation hierarchies are used by the system and its users todetermine corporate divisional accounts.

The sales administration subsystem (SAS) subsystem of the Card Manager™subsystem manages all functions associated with the sale anddistribution of the PIN access cards through dealers in distributorships35 and sales agents 37. This subsystem includes the dealer managementsubsystem, and elements of this subsystem include dealers maintenance;sales agents maintenance; sales territories maintenance; commissionmodels maintenance; incentive models maintenance; PIN access card 3issuance to sales agents 37; registration of sold/returned/lost cards 3;commissions calculation; incentives calculation; and accounts receivablemanagement. Through this subsystem, new dealers and sales agents 37 areenrolled into the system, as are new commission models, new incentivemodels, and updated dealer territories. Referring now to FIG. 18, eachdealer's name and full address are mandatory, and dealer telephonenumber, facsimile number, e-mail address, and contact person may also beentered. Information to be entered for each new sales agent 37 includesname, address, telephone number, and title. The commission models areused by the system in determining payment and account balances duringsales account reconciliation. Incentive model information may be enteredfor particular sales agents 37 and will normally include start and enddates of the incentive program, eligible persons for claiming benefitsunder the incentive program, and the requirements of the program. Theincentive models are used to compute check-in/check-out account balancesand dealer/sales agent compensation. By registration of sold cards 3,the SAS subsystem, in conjunction with the card management subsystem,loads customer account information into the database 33.

Referring now to FIG. 19, the data flow associated with the sales agent37 check-in is detailed. The process shown in FIG. 19 occurs with thereturn of the sales agent 37 from a sales call or sales trip. The salesagent 37 must account for all cards registered to him/her and mustreport the cards as having been sold, as being returned, or as havingbeen damaged or destroyed. A card inventory is correspondingly updated,with the returned cards being made available for subsequent sale. Thesales agent's appropriate commission model is selected, the number ofsold lots is input, and the sales agent 37 is compensated in the form ofcash or credit. All data associated with the sales agent's transactionsis stored in the server 23 database 33. FIGS. 20 and 21 detail the dataflow associated with adding a new dealer and a new sales agent 37,respectively, to the system.

The security subsystem of the Card Manager™ provides the ability toassign users to organizational roles, to configure security privilegesfor different roles, and to regulate work flow through designated,approved roles by utilizing user and operations administrations. Thedetail of this subsystem is shown in FIG. 22. The user can create andmodify users, create and modify roles to access particular subsystems ofthe system, map operations to roles, map roles to users, and assign therights allowed on each subsystem to the various roles.

Some of the functions of the Card Manager™ subsystem are provided bybatch processes instead of online services. Most notable among these arethe steps associated with issuing and managing the access cards 3 andtheir corresponding PIN numbers. An example of such processing is shownin FIG. 23 for the authentication of mobile cards 3. As a method toavoid fraudulent usage of access cards 3, printed access cards 3 mustfirst be authenticated or registered before the system will accept theusage of the card 3. Such a process is initiated at the central office71 with a request for additional mobile, or “automobile” cards 3. Onceall necessary information associated with the cards 3 is extracted fromthe system database 33, the card 3 is authenticated by updating itsstatus in the database 33. At this point, the card 3 is available foruse by a customer to access the services provided through the inventivesystem.

FIGS. 24–26B detail the data flow associated with generating variousreports. The system provides for generating a plurality ofparameter-driven reports, with the parameters being provided by users,provided by the system data stored in the various databases 31, 33, 68,or provided by both. The reports can be generated at the central office71, the regional office 59, at the distributorships 35, at the salesagents' 37 offices, or remotely through online terminals.

The external carrier and rate plan subsystem (ECRS) subsystem of theCard Manager™ is responsible for maintaining the various network andcarrier rate plans available under which customers may be accessing theresources and services available through the system. System usersutilize the ECRS subsystem to enter information for maintaining carrier-and rate-related information within the system, including informationidentifying and detailing external carriers, rate plans, networks,nodes, zones, time packages, tariff times, holidays, contact persons,and service maintenance definitions. Through the use of various wellknown input and query devices, including graphical user interfaces andremote terminals, the users can view, input, modify, and delete any andall information related to the external carriers and various rate plans,with appropriate clearance authority as provided through the system'ssecurity subsystem. Each rate plan may be limited by zone, time, date,and user. Additionally, the ECRS provides the resources through whichadditional surcharges may be added to rate structures for particularservices utilized by customers, such as call conferencing, voice mail,facsimile, etc. The ECRS subsystem provides a built-in rating engine fordynamically calculating various usage charges during the delivery ofcommunication services for ensuring that the customer has sufficientbalance or limit remaining to purchase the requested services.

A high level application programming interface (HAPI) is a term of artdescribing the application programming interface that interfaces betweenthe system in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention andthe CTI cards, regardless of the type or manufacturer of CTI card(s)provided. Therefore, by simply updating the HAPI modules to accommodatea new CTI card, the system becomes independent of whatever CTI cards areelected to be used. In other words, HAPI provides a way to keep theapplication unchanged over multiple vendor CTI cards.

The framework of HAPI provides a set of function calls, structures,events, errors, and constants which are common across all cardssupported by HAPI. The application can use these values irrespective ofthe card used. Thus the application developer need not worry about thetarget card type on which the application is going to be executed. Theprogrammer need not know the function calls or the programmingintricacies of all the type of cards on which the program is going to berun. HAPI shields these from the application and provides a commonframework for the application developer. HAPI can be used with analoglines as well as digital (E1/T1/ISDN) lines.

While the above discussion has been directed toward providing telephonycommunication services to the user and subscriber in accordance withpreferred embodiments of the invention, the CallManager™ 102 andNetManager™ subsystems can also be utilized to provide Internet or otheronline services to the user. Specifically, the services of CallManager™102 and/or NetManager™ 104 can be used to access any online servicecurrently available through the use of computers and modems, asillustrated by FIGS. 27–28. In such an embodiment of the presentinvention, the user inquiries would be routed through a remote accessserver 202 instead of the CallManager™ 102 server 23 or the NetManager™104 server 17. The remote access server 202 would then direct theinquiry through a router 204 to connect with the Internet network 200 orany online access service. Once connected, the user would be allowed toconduct any pre-authorized online transaction, such as e-commerce,information inquiry, financial, communication, or entertainment, forexample. The rating engine for calculating user charges for receivingservices selected would be modified to reflect the cost of accessing thevarious Internet or online services and features. The rating enginewould accommodate charging plans based on service, time, duration, andvolume. By way of example and not limitation, a subscriber could sign upfor a PIN access card 3 that permits access to e-commerce transactionson the Internet, with such transactions limited to investment trading,auction bidding, and travel purchases, with a specific transaction limitfor each such category. The user dials the remote access server 202,which routes the call to the radius authentication server 206 forauthentication. The radius authentication server 206 sends informationto the CallManager™ 102 upon authentication. The CallManager™ 102accesses the user's account and responds to the radius authenticationserver 206 whether there is sufficient balance in the account andwhether the requested service is valid for this user's account. The useris connected to the Internet or online service, and the CallManager™ 102keeps track of the elapsed time. Charges, such as online purchases,accrued by the user during connection are levied against the user'saccount balance. The above is also referred to as real timeauthorization and real time debiting. If the customer 1 disconnectsbefore exhaustion of the account balance, the radius authenticationserver 206 notifies the CallManager™ 102 of the call termination, andthe CallManager™ 102 then updates the user's account balance. If thebalance is exhausted during the call, the CallManager™ 102 sends atermination message to the remote access server 202, which so notifiesthe user and terminates the connection.

Providers are presently implementing Internet 200 and other onlinenetworks to carry voice and multimedia traffic, in addition to utilizingtraditional switched telephony networks. NetManager™ 104, as acall-processing engine for a PSTN user, can also be used as a gatewayfor providing enhanced voice and multimedia services on the Internet 200or other online networks, as illustrated in FIG. 28. In this embodiment,NetManager™ 104 accepts all telephony calls for digit analysis. IfNetManager™ 104 determines that the call is within the Internet 200 orother online network, NetManager™ 104 translates the destination digitsto the corresponding Internet address and sends the call back to theInternet 200 or other online network. If the call is for the PSTN,NetManager™ 104 performs a gateway function and routes the call to thePSTN over signaling links, such as MFC-R2, ISDN-PRI, or SS7. TheNetManager™ 104 then provides all requested and authorized telephonyservices to both the Internet and the PSTN customers.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatchanges may be made in these embodiments without departing from theprinciple and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined inthe appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A method of crediting a pre-authorized account of a user, maintainedat a platform connected to a plurality of networks, comprising: sendinga request message to the user at a receiver that the pre-authorizedaccount needs additional funds; receiving a response message from theuser using the receiver requesting additional funds be added to thepre-authorized account in accordance with the request message;authenticating at the platform, using a password and a number unique tothe user, that the user is associated with the pre-authorized accountand identifying another account from which the additional funds are tobe drawn; and after authentication that the user is associated with thepre-authorized account, obtaining the additional funds in a real-timetransaction debiting the other account and adding the additional fundsto the pre-authorized account used in paying for at least onecommunication service or transaction, provided or consummated,respectively via at least one of the networks of different types whichare external to the platform.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thereceiver is a wireless device.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thereceiving the response message includes receiving in the responsemessage another number that is usable to obtain the additional fundsfrom the other account.
 4. The method of claim 3, authenticating at theplatform, using the password, the number unique to the user, and theother number, that the user is associated with the pre-authorizedaccount and identifying the other account from which the additionalfunds are to be drawn.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprisingestablishing an identification of the user using the password and thenumber unique to the user.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sendingthe request message comprises sending the request message to the user atthe receiver according to a stored record identifying the receiverassociated with the user.
 7. A method of crediting a pre-authorizedaccount of a user, comprising: sending a request message to the user ata receiver that the pre-authorized account needs additional funds;receiving a response message from the user sent from the receiver andincluding a number associated with the user; according to the numberassociated with the user, sending a request from a first platform to asecond platform to obtain the additional funds from another accountassociated with the user and disposed on the second platform; andreceiving the additional funds obtained from a real-time transactiondebiting the other account and adding the additional funds to thepre-authorized account disposed on a platform other than the secondplatform, the additional funds used to pay for at least onecommunication service or transaction, provided or consummated,respectively via at least one of a plurality of networks of differenttypes which are external to the first and second platforms.
 8. Themethod according to claim 7, further comprising authenticating at thefirst platform that the user is associated with the pre-authorizedaccount, wherein the sending the request from the first platform to thesecond platform occurs if it is authenticated that the user isassociated with the pre-authorized account.
 9. The method according toclaim 8, further comprising establishing at the first platform anidentification number associated with the user, wherein theauthenticating the user comprises authenticating the user using theestablished identification number.
 10. A method of creditingpre-authorized account of a user, comprising: receiving at a firstplatform an identification number and a password using a receiver;authenticating the user at the first platform using the identificationnumber and the password; sending a message to the user at the receiverindicating that the pre-authorized account needs additional funds; ifthe user is authenticated and if the user has responded to a messageindicating that the pre-authorized account needs additional funds,determining another account on another platform from which theadditional funds are to be obtained to be included in the pre-authorizedaccount; and adding the additional funds to the pre-authorized accountin a real-time transaction debiting the other account, thereby makingthe additional funds available to pay for at least one communicationservice or transaction, provided or consummated, respectively via atleast one of a plurality of networks of different types which areexternal to the first platform.
 11. A system for use in crediting anaccount of a user using another account not on the system, the systemcomprising: a storage device including a first user account; a firstplatform unit which receives a first unique number from a user sent froma receiver disposed outside of the system, sends the first unique numberto a second platform unit for use in verification of the user,establishes a connection with the user at the receiver to provide arequest message indicating that the first user account associated withthe user has an amount below a predetermined value, and receives aresponse message from the user in response to the request message andincluding a second unique number for use in adding an amount to thefirst user account; and a second platform unit which receives the firstunique number to authenticate that the user is associated with the firstuser account, wherein if the second platform unit authenticates the userusing the first unique number and the first platform unit receives thesecond unique number in the response message, one of the first andsecond platform units sends: a replenishment message outside of thesystem to another account associated with the user and disposed on aplatform external to the system, and in a real-time transaction receivesa replenishment amount from the other account that is added to the firstuser account, thereby making the replenishment amount available to payfor at least one communication service or transaction, provided orconsummated, respectively via at least one of a plurality of networks ofdifferent types which are external to the first and second platforms.12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one of the first and secondplatform units further determines, using the received first and/orsecond unique numbers, the other account from which the replenishmentamount is to be received.
 13. A platform which changes amounts inaccounts associated with users, the platform comprising: an interfacethat receives, from a plurality of external networks of different types,a requesting message from a user at a receiver disposed outside of theplatform requesting an increase in an amount stored in an accountassociated with the user; a verification module that authenticates thatthe user is associated with the account so as to allow an increase or adecrease in the amount in the account; and a processor that, if the useris authenticated as being associated with the account, determinesanother account associated with the user according to the requestingmessage, sends a top up request outside of the platform to the otheraccount that was determined, to obtain an additional amount to top upthe account in a real-time transaction, and, if the additional amount isreceived from the other account, allows topping up the account using theadditional amount, wherein the platform is outside of the plurality ofexternal networks of different types, and the account being topped up isstored on a billing platform other than another platform on which theother account is stored and is used to pay for at least onecommunication service or transaction, provided or consummated,respectively via at least one of the external networks of differenttypes.
 14. The platform of claim 13, wherein the verification moduleuses a password sent from the user at the receiver to verify that theuser is associated with the account.
 15. A platform, connected to aplurality of external networks of different types, which providescommunication services and changes amounts in accounts associated withusers, the platform comprising: an interface through which a top upmessage and a requesting message are transmitted with respect to a userusing a receiver disposed outside of the platform; a storage unit whichstores an account value associated with the user; and a processor whichperforms billing of the account associated with the user for acommunication service and/or transaction provided to the user,determines if the account has an amount below a predetermined amount,establishes a connection to the receiver to send the requesting messageto the user at the receiver to request top up of the account such thatthe amount in the account is at or above the predetermined level, andreceives the response message from the user requesting top up of theaccount, wherein if the user is authenticated as being associated withthe account, the platform receives an additional amount in a real-timetransaction from an another account associated with the user inaccordance with the requesting message and tops up the account using theadditional amount to make the additional amount available to pay for atleast one communication service or transaction, provided or consummated,respectively via at least one of the external networks, and the otheraccount is stored on a platform other than the platform having thestorage unit.
 16. The platform of claim 15, wherein the processorfurther receives from the user a password unique to the user for use inverification, and provides the received password to a verificationmodule for use in authenticated that the user is associated with theaccount.
 17. At least one computer readable medium encoded withprocessing instructions for implementing the method of claim 1 performedby at least one computer.
 18. At least one computer readable mediumencoded with processing instructions for implementing the method ofclaim 7 performed by at least one computer.
 19. A computer readablemedium encoded with instructions that when executed control at least onecomputer system to perform a method comprising: storing a first useraccount of a user; verifying identity of the user based on a firstunique number received from the user; sending to the user a messageindicating that the first user account associated with the user has abalance below a predetermined value; receiving, from the user inresponse to the message, a second unique number associated with a seconduser account of the user not accessible by the least one computersystem; and exchanging in a real-time transaction process, areplenishment request, including the second unique number, sent outsideof the at least one computer system to an account system maintaining asecond account of the user, and a replenishment message from the accountsystem authorizing, based on the second unique number, transfer of anamount that is added to the first user account, thereby increasing thebalance of the first account by the amount to pay for at least one of acommunication service or a transaction, provided or consummated,respectively, via at least one of a plurality of networks of differenttypes which are external to the at least one computer system and theaccount system.
 20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, whereinsaid verifying further comprises authenticating the user using at leastone of a security code, a password, user intervention, a PIN number,automatic call back or interactive voice response.
 21. The computerreadable medium of claim 19, wherein said method further comprisesverifying that the user is within a specified area, country or that theat least one of the communication service or the transaction requestedis within a user feature restriction level.
 22. The computer readablemedium of claim 19, wherein the second account is one of apre-authorized account or a charge account.
 23. The computer readablemedium of claim 19, wherein said method further comprises recordinginformation about the at least one communication service or thetransaction, including at least one of location of the authorized user,a charged amount, the date, the time or the type of transaction.
 24. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of externalnetworks of different types include a wireless communication network, apublicity switched telephone network, a landline communication network,a global or wide area computer network, the Internet, a TCP/IP LAN, aSS-7 signaling network, an IP signaling network and a router network.25. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein said methodfurther comprises providing services of at least one of user accountmanagement functions, payment administration functions, rate planfunctions, or security functions.
 26. The computer readable medium ofclaim 19, wherein said method further comprises processing real-timesettlement data for the at least one of the communication service or thetransaction.